Escalator malfunctions at Bellevue Square; 4 taken to hospital

The scene immediately after the escalator malfunctioned tonight at the Macy’s at Bellevue Square. (Courtesy of Cyleste Huynh and Daniel Kao)

Four people fell when an escalator inside Bellevue Square shopping center malfunctioned tonight, according to the Bellevue Fire Department.

A 30-year-old man, a woman and two 3-year-olds were taken to Overlake Hospital Medical Center in Bellevue after the 7:21 p.m. malfunction at Macy’s. The man sustained minor injuries while the three others were taken as a precaution, said Lt. Troy Donlin. He did not know how many people were on the escalator when it failed.

A store manager declined to comment, but an employee said that she heard screaming and saw the escalator coming apart.

An employee at Sanrio said it was the escalator on the street level of Macy’s and that the steps of the escalator were mangled.

“Some steps are not where they belong,” Donlin said, according to an Associated Press report.

A mechanical failure led to the accident, not a structural collapse, Donlin said. He was told by a mall manager that the escalator is regularly checked by maintenance company Schindler, and that they and a state inspector would investigate the cause of the malfunction as soon as possible.

A state inspector from the Department of Labor & Industries also checks the escalator monthly, according to a release from Kemper Development Company, which owns Bellevue Square.

About The Today File

The Today File is a general news blog featuring real-time coverage of Seattle and the Northwest. It is reported by the news staff of The Seattle Times and includes stories from The Associated Press and McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.